Improvement in miter-boxes



G. .M STEVENS.

Miter-Boxes.

-Patentedluly15,1873K AM Maraini/Mmmm ca mf (assums mocsss.)

GRENYILLE M. STEVENS, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

p IMPRQVEWQIENT IN lifllTER-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 140,853, dated July 15,1873 application filed March 5, 1873.

.To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that GRENVILLE M. STE- VENS, of Portland, in the county ofCumberland and State of Maine, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Miter-Boxes; and I hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, which is hereby made a part of thisspecilication, in which- Figure lis a top-plan View of my device. Fig. 2is a front vertical elevation ofthe same. Fig. 3 is an end view. Fig. 4is a view in detail of the saw-guides.

Same letters show like parts.

The object of my invention is to improve upon the devices now used formitering or' cutting lumber and other similar materials at any desiredangle.

The ordinary miter-box, constructed of strips of board or plank nailedtogether in the form of a box without ends, is not only very clumsy andinaccurate, but, as it requires to be renewed frequently, is quiteexpensive. I am aware that different devices have been patented intendedfor this purpose; but so far as I am informed, none of them have beenfree from objection, from various causes, and these objections myinvention is designed to obviate. My invention consists of guides for asaw, or a similar cutting instrument, used in connection with certaindevices hereinafter de scribed for indicating the position of thematerial to be cut, and for indicating its length and the angle at whichit is to be divided.

At a, Fig'. 1, is shown the frame or stock of my device. The ends aremade rectangular,

as shown, andthe semicircular part 1),Fig. 1,

contains the slot c, throughwhich passes the lever d. This lever d ispivoted at e, and has rigidly affixed vto its upper side the parallelguides f f and g g. The standards h of the guides f and g are made ofmetal, coveredY with freely-rotating sleeves of caoutchouc or itsequivalent, these sleeves being held in place by ascrew-cap upon anextension of the standard, as described in the specification attached toLetters Patent issued to me for an improvement in mitering-machinesdated May 7,1872, No. 126,588; or the standard h may `have the ball imade upon its upperend, and

the rubber sleeves j being cast upon this standard and around the ballt', so that no part of the metal composing the standard 7L is exposed tobe struck by the saw, in removing or replacing the same. The leverdextends through the slot c and beyond it to the front side of thedevice, and has the knob 7c for moving the lever, and immediately belowthe knob k the spring-catch l, the detent oi' which tsinto any of theperforations m in the stock a or frame of the device. These perforationsshould have figures or other suitable indications to show at what anglethe saw will run with the guide a when the lever is moved, so that thedetent of the springcatch is forced into any of the perforations. At thelower end of, and between the guides ff and g g, are placed the rotatingrubber disks o o, and these disks o 0 are so arranged as to their heightthat the teeth of the saw strike upon the disks as soon as it has passedthrough the materialwhich is mitered or divided, and before the saw canreach the stock a of the device. They are made rotary, so that the teethof the saw do not act upon them to their injury, and are consequentlyvery durable. The sliding guide| p with its stop q serves as a guide forthe material operated upon, and, by proper marking into feet and inches,is very convenient for measuring its length. The setscrew i" rigidly xesit at any desired point.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The lumber or othermaterial to be divided is placed against the front side of theperpendicular part n of the stock a. If any particular length isdesired, that length is ascertained by the sliding guide p and stop g.The spring-catch Zthen fixes the lever d at the point indicated on thearc for the desired angle, and the saw being then placed between theguides f f and g g the material is cut as desired. When the saw haspassed down used for xing the position of the lever is not confined tothe special form shown, but any most convenient device for this purposemay be used, as circumstances may indicate, as, for instance, when anychange of form is made in the lever, or for any other reason.

I d0 not claim these devices herein described, except the disks o o, asbeing new, except in the' combination as herein set forth; and I do notclaim as new the standards h l1, and their elastic rotary sleeves j,they being described in the former patent to me, which is referred toherein. I claim only the spherical head, said head having a greaterdiameter than the standard, and covered by the end of the-sleeve, whichis made hollow, to receive the head of the standard, and thus retain thesleeve in place and prevent the saw from striking` the metal standard.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The combination of the stock a, lever d, slot c, saw-guides ff and gg, spring-catch l,

perforations mm, perpendicular guide a, disks f

